Which of the 30 largest Dutch cities would the Dutch person most like to visit in 2022? Columbus Travel examined it, and the surprising conclusions of the large-scale survey:the most popular city leaves the competition very far behind, and medium-sized cities are preferred over the large cities. Amsterdam, the capital, a favorite among foreign tourists, does not even come further than seventeenth place among respondents.
More than three thousand Dutch travelers ticked their favorite Dutch municipalities for a city trip in response to a call from Columbus Travel. Maastricht stands alone – one in two Dutch people would like to visit the South Limburg city this year. The second place is taken by Haarlem. No less than 31 percent of the Dutch would like a trip to the capital of the province of North Holland. The other cities in the top 5 will come as a surprise to many:the medium-sized municipalities of Ede (20 percent), Deventer (13 percent) and Leeuwarden (11 percent) are the other favorites for a domestic city trip in 2022.
With this, these cities are wiping the floor with the Big Four:Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. None of these most populous cities in the Netherlands even made it into the top 10. Only five percent of the Dutch say they prefer to plan a city trip to The Hague. The court city thus achieves a modest eleventh place in the ranking, closely followed by Rotterdam, Utrecht and Amsterdam in fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth place respectively.
Respondents report that they prefer medium-sized cities with a historic core for a city trip because of their human dimension and pleasant atmosphere. The location within the Netherlands, above or below the rivers, does not play a significant role. “Due to the corona crisis, the Dutch have also started to look at their cities differently,” adds Columbus Travel editor-in-chief Mark Mackintosh. “We have become more curious and more willing to look beyond the usual tourist favourites. This creates great opportunities for cities that want to put themselves on the map and are willing to invest energy in an attractive cultural and culinary offer.'
